1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat pipes and, in particular, for closure thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At some point in the fabrication of heat pipes the working fluid must be placed and sealed in the heat pipe enclosure. Several conventional sealing techniques which are currently employed include cold and hot pinch-off welding, RF braising, soldering, dissimilar material fusion, and a combination of one or more of these. While all of these techniques work well, they require that the sealing operation and the operator be at the heat pipe itself. In some cases, such a procedure may be hazardous to the operator or may cause not altogether successful sealing of the heat pipe. For example, the working fluid may comprise a toxic or potentially hazardous material, e.g., liquid metal. Secondly, some of the working fluid may remain at the closure point, thereby deleteriously affecting sealing, leading to a present or potential failure in operation.